The present patent application relates generally to light-emitting systems, and more particularly to such systems that employ reflective surfaces to produce adjustable lighting patterns.
Lighting systems for high-power light sources, such as light emitting diodes, can have a wide variety of configurations. In many cases, a particular configuration can be characterized by the illumination pattern it produces, by the coherence, intensity, efficiency and uniformity of the light projected by it, and so on. The application for which the lens and/or lighting system is designed may demand a high level of performance in many of these areas.
Many applications call for the ability to focus or change the size of a projected light spot. For example, flashlights, spotlights, and adjustable or customizable lighting systems, among others, all can utilize such focusing capabilities. However, creating a device that can provide such an adjustable lighting pattern is challenging. To date, lighting systems with focusing features have typically included single reflectors that can be moved with respect to the light source to change the size of a light spot projected onto a target surface. The capabilities of such systems are limited and their illumination characteristics are typically sub-optimal.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved lighting systems, and particularly those with adjustable focusing ability.